MUSC 510 01: Seminar in Music Education

After successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

• Describe the development of curricula and pedagogies.
• Critically examine curricular and pedagogical foundations of music education.
• Analyze and apply principles of measurement and assessment.
• Develop reflective practices regarding the organization and planning of music teaching and learning.
• Design a collegiate course reflecting relevant learning theories and pedagogical practices.

Conway, C. (Ed). (2015). Musicianship-focused curriculum and assessment. GIA Publications. ISBN: 1622771370

Rose, T. (2015). The end of average: How to succeed in a world that values sameness. Penguin Books. ISBN: 0141980036  

In order to succeed in this course, at a minimum, you should be able to:

Insert minimum requirements expected and needed. In the bulleted example list below

• Navigate in and use basic Blackboard functions
• Download and open electronic documents
• Create, save, and upload/attach electronic documents
• Send, receive, and manage email

Visit the Knowledge Base for additional supports and information about general tech requirements for students including information about devices, operating systems, software, internet connection, and major-specific tech requirements.

Access and Log in Information

This course was developed and will be facilitated utilizing Blackboard. To get started with the course, please go to: http://blackboard.UND.edu and log in with your NDUS.Identifier, Username and Password. If you do not know your NDUS Identifier or have forgotten your password, please visit Your NDUS Account page on the UIT website.

Course Overview

This is a seminar course: we will all read, present, listen, and discuss material. We will have a lot to talk about over a very short period of time. The active participation and preparation of every class member is crucial. We will start promptly and end on time.

How to Engage

Readings are a central element of this course, and each has been carefully and purposefully selected. I do not believe in busy work and will not ask you to complete any task that does not have a purpose. Please engage with the readings at a depth appropriate for a graduate seminar. Readings are listed in the course calendar below and will be posted to Blackboard in advance of the week. (In the event that a reading is missing from Blackboard, please notify me so I can correct the situation.)

Please take time, reading diligently and actively, taking lots of notes for further discussion. What resonates with you? What confuses you? What does not settle with you? What would you like to explore with the group? Where do you see connections with your practice? What do you see as reflections with or disconnects from current music education practices and trends? Be ready to reference and talk about these notes in class.

Verbal contributions in class are expected. Our class meetings will be heavily discussion centered. We will talk in class about ways to participate.

Where Do I Find Information in Blackboard?

On the left side course menu in Blackboard there is a “Weekly Folders” tab. Inside “Weekly Folders” you will find non-textbook readings, PowerPoints (uploaded after each class), assignments, and any supplemental materials organized by week.

You will also notice a tab labeled “Topic Presentations.” You’ll find information for the three topics presentations and will submit your assignment files in that tab.

Resources

UND cares about your success as a student. For more information, visit the Student Resources Page for additional information. Students have access to assistance from the UND Writing Center, Tutoring and Learning Services, Testing Services, and more.

Students also have access to the UND Student Resource Site via Blackboard. It is recommended that you become familiar with the tools and tutorials within Blackboard to better equip you in navigating the course and Educational Technology including Yuja, VoiceThread, Discussion Boards, Riipen, Smart Thinking, Proctoring, etc.

Always use professional language (no netspeak) in your assignments and emails. Please always be respectful of others, even if you disagree with their ideas or do not get along. Here are a few basic points to remember when communicating in this course:

• Be scholarly. Use proper language, grammar, and spelling. Explain your thoughts, justify opinions, and credit the ideas of others by citing or linking to scholarly resources. Avoid misinforming others when you are unsure of the answer.  When discussing something and supplying a guess, clearly state that. 
• Be respectful. Respect the privacy of others. Do not share personal or professional information about others unless permission has been granted. Respect diversity and opinions that differ from their own. Be tactful when you communicate. 
• Be professional. Everyone should strive to give their best impression online. Truthfulness, accuracy, and running a final spell check are appropriate expectations for university students. Writing in a legible font and limiting the use of emoticons is considered professional behavior. Profanity and participation in hostile interactions are unprofessional as well as disruptive. 
• Be polite. Students should be addressing professors and instructors by the appropriate title or requested name. Students should interact online politely, just as they would be expected to do in a physical environment. Sarcasm, rudeness, and writing in all capital letters should be avoided.

For more information, read the Top 12 Be-Attitudes of Netiquette for Academicians.

Email

Outside of class, our primary mode of communication will be email. Students are expected to check their UND emails daily (excluding weekends) and should promptly respond to class-related emails. Professional communication is expected (no netspeak or text-like communication).

As the instructor, I will also check my email frequently and work to respond within one-two business days. Please note that I will not check/respond to emails after 8 pm CST during the week and may not respond during weekends. I will share assignment feedback via email within one week following the assignment, and will communicate when those timelines may be varied due to holidays, conference travel, or other circumstances.

Blackboard

Many resources will be available on Blackboard. Most assignments will be submitted via Blackboard (those assignments outside of Blackboard will be communicated in class and in writing). Download and review materials. Announcements may also be made via Blackboard. Please make sure you have easy access to this and check it regularly.

Technology and Video Conferencing

In this class we will have a technology policy that is designed to support your attention to one another and to the course material.  We will spend the majority of our time engaged in activities that depend upon you being present and attentive to one another, and the course content we will study. We are all challenged these days by the ways in which our digital devices—including laptops, tablets, phones, and watches—can steal our attention away from our immediate surroundings. Technology should be used for educational purposes only during scheduled class times.

In the event of virtual class meetings, we will utilize Zoom. When interacting with peers online or through video conferencing, it is important to consider your environment and interact professionally. Students should follow the Code of Student Life while interacting virtually or in person.

Sharing personal experiences and opinions is an important part of the learning process. In the seminar-based environment of this course, all our online interactions will be recorded and made available to students in the course. The purpose of these recordings is to enhance learning for all students. If your peers make personal statements in this course, consider those comments in the context of our learning goals, and do not share them with people outside the course. If you have questions or concerns about any recordings, please contact me.

Assessment

This course is made up of a series of assignments and assessments to assist you in achieving the course learning objectives/outcomes. We will approach the course content using an ungrading approach, which I discuss in the Grading section.

Assessments

In this course your learning will be assessed in the following ways:

• Participation and Class Activities
• Discussion Boards
• Topic Presentations
• Final Project and Presentation

Participation and Class Activities

Active participation in class activities, which includes discussions, reading, writing, group work, and class assignments, is expected. Class activities and assignments should be completed prior to the class meeting for which they are assigned. Please be sure to bring all assignment materials, reading notes, and questions to each class meeting.

Discussion Boards

There will be eight (8) discussion board posts required during this course. The selected readings are marked in bold on the course calendar below. On Blackboard, you should post a complete, graduate-level response to the assigned readings 24 hours prior to the start of class. You will also be expected to respond to a peer’s post no later than 24 hours after class is completed. These reading responses are intended to be a space when you think through your notes, pose questions, or challenge the reading. Responses should be equally thoughtful and reflect graduate-level engagement.

Topic Presentations

For each assigned topic, you will give a 10-15 minute presentation with a visual aid and a handout to guide your audience. For all presentations, you will need instructor approval to ensure there is no duplication. All presentation topics must be approved at least one week before the presentation. These presentations will occur on Feb 6, Apr 3, and Apr 19. Additionally information will be provided on Blackboard.

• Topic 1: Provide a deeper look and critique/contextual analysis of an influential person/idea in education curriculum. Students can choose from a list of suggestions or propose an alternative focus with instructor approval.
• Topic 2: Choose one pedagogy and one learning theory. Present a deeper overview of both and explain how you see them connecting/relating. Be sure to provide positives and critiques to each aspect.
• Topic 3: Choose an area of interest from class that you would like to explore further. Provide background information on the topic (outside of what was discussed in class) and connect to your area of interest.

Final Project and Presentation

For your final project, you will design a course syllabus incorporating some of the ideas discussed throughout the semester. Consider learning theories, assessment, and curriculum design critically. The course topic should be something that you might use as an instructor for a collegiate class. Include a calendar with readings, topics, and potential assignments. Provide a brief overview of assignments, learning outcomes and goals for your course.

Additionally, you will provide a 5-8 page narrative to describe your course design, including the learning theories and critical considerations you made in the design. This should include at least six (6) references and be written in APA 7 format. Further information regarding the final project will be provided on Blackboard.

Grading

This course will focus on qualitative not quantitative assessments, as this is the type of assessment I want you to employ within your own teaching and with your future students. We will discuss this at length during class, both with reference to your own work and to education more broadly. While you will receive a final grade at the end of the semester, as required by university policy, I will not be grading individual assignments. Rather, I will ask questions and make comments that engage your work (and invite you to do so as well) instead of simply evaluating it. You will be reflecting, carefully and often, on your own work and the work of your peers. You will be actively involved in deciding your final grade for this course, and this process will occur throughout the semester. The intention here is to help you focus on working in a more organic way and allow you the space to work creatively and in ways that make the most sense towards your goals, as opposed to working as you think you are expected to.

Please note that you are expected to complete assignments on time and to the best of your ability, so as to reap the full benefits of the learning experiences in this course. Deadlines and completion will factor into our collaborative discussions regarding your in-progress and final grade in the course. I have included the university grading scale below as a guide, and it will serve as the criteria by which we determine your final course grade.

If for any reason this process causes more anxiety than it alleviates, feel free to see me to confer about your progress in the course to date. If you are in any way worried about your grade, your best strategy should be to join the discussions, do the readings, complete the assignments, and participate fully in class. You should consider this course a “busywork-free zone.” If for some reason an assignment does not feel productive, we can discuss it to find ways to modify, remix, or repurpose the instructions.

For more information about upgrading, please see:

Blum, S. D. (Ed.) (2020). Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead). West Virginia University Press.

Feldman, J. (2019). Grading for equity: What it is, why it matters, and how it can transform schools and classrooms. Corwin.

University Grading Scale

4 - Marked Excellence

3 - Superior

2 - Average

1 - Passing but low

0 - Failure

Course Evaluation

Near the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete an online course evaluation form (SELFI). Your feedback on the course is extremely valuable to me. I read my students’ comments carefully and use them to improve the course the next time I teach it.

• When the time comes, please let me know which aspects of the course helped you learn—and which aspects might be modified to help future students learn more effectively. 
• Please note that the course evaluations are anonymous and that I won’t see the results until after the grades for the course are submitted, allowing you to provide honest and constructive feedback. 
• Throughout the semester if you have concerns or feedback, please reach out to schedule a time to discuss.

Attendance Policy

You are professionals and I expect professional conduct—you’ll be in class, on time, and prepared. If you can’t be, it will be for a good reason, you’ll give appropriate notice, and you’ll find a way to submit the required work and get the information from class. More than two (2) absences will be cause for concern and will negatively affect your grade. Exceptions to this policy may be granted on a case-by-case basis for documented, extreme circumstances such as hospitalization or death of an immediate family member. Text immediately if you are having connectivity or other internet issues.

Assignment and Late Work Policy

Credit/No Credit: Credit will be awarded for complete, concise, thoughtful, assignments written at a graduate level. The intent of credit/no credit is to allow flexibility and opportunities for feedback. The gradebook in Blackboard will be used to track complete/incomplete work and should not be considered a representation of overall grade.

Late Assignments: If you do not submit an assignment by the beginning of the class during which it is due, it is considered late, even if you are absent from class that day. This is so I can provide you with timely feedback to support your course progress. Assignments that are submitted late are not guaranteed to receive instructor feedback. If you submit an assignment on time and you are not satisfied with it, you may resubmit it for feedback within two weeks of receiving the initial feedback. In-class assignments and presentations are not eligible to be made up without prior communication and will factor into the grading discussion between the student and teacher.

Incompletes

It is expected that students will complete all requirements for a course during the time frame of the course. For reasons beyond a student’s control, and upon request by the student or on behalf of the student, an incomplete grade may be assigned by the instructor when there is reasonable certainty the student will successfully complete the course without retaking it. The mark “I,” Incomplete, will be assigned only to the student who has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work up to a time within four weeks of the close of the semester, including the examination period, and whose work is incomplete for reasons satisfactory to his or her instructor. More information regarding UND’s Incomplete policy can be found on The Grading System Webpage.